- Facing backlash, American University has decided to remove a statue of a convicted cop killer that had been prominently displayed in front of its art museum.
- AU had originally defended the statue promoting clemency for Leonard Peltier, saying the display was merely an art exhibit, but now concedes that the placement "improperly suggested...an advocacy position."
Facing backlash, American University has decided to remove a statue of a convicted cop killer that had been prominently displayed in front of its art museum.
As Campus Reform previously reported, the university installed the statue of Leonard Peltier as “part of a movement to raise awareness for Peltier’s pardon request.”
Peltier was convicted of murdering two FBI agents in 1977, and received two life sentences.
Supporters have been pushing for President Barack Obama to pardon Peltier in the last days of his presidency, and are promoting the clemency campaign with the 9-foot statue, which had been making its way across country before arriving at AU.
Facing backlash on its Facebook page, AU originally clarified its position on the statue, stating the university “regards this statue as an exhibited piece of art and takes no position on the advocacy movement,” and adding that the Katzen museum is “is hosting the artist's statue as an exhibit; it is not a permanent installation..."
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